Pics of Last Updates of '09

Last updates of 2009

How quickly the end of the year went. I haven't been able to visit our blog and update it as much as I would like to these days. I wonder why...maybe because two little boys keep their mommy quite busy! For some reason, I thought that as the boys got older things would get a little easier...clearly my thinking was completely incorrect. : ) Although I am always on the go and rarely have a moment to myself, I really wouldn't have it any other way. I love my children and the joy that they bring me. They both have such a great sense of humor and are so fun to be around! *** Onto the updates... Finishing out October - the boys had a great time at the Harvest Party that their school put together. Both boys wanted to reuse Halloween costumes we had last year (no pressure from mom or dad at all...they really were happy with repeat costumes!). Sam was a monkey again, and Ethan wore the giraffe costume that Sam wore a few years ago. November began with a road trip to Maine to visit Nana, Papa, & Auntie Kathy. It was a long trip (about 15 hrs.), but it was so memorable for the boys. They got to ride on Papa's tractor, have a campfire each night, and get to see snow for the first time! Believe it or not, both boys passed on roasted marshmellows and enjoyed roasting hotdogs instead. Sam ate 5 hotdogs off the stick one night!! Sam also celebrated his 5th birthday while we were in Maine. The rest of November was a tough month for us. Our family struggled with a lot of sickness, beginning with Ethan getting the flu. Then the boys and Greg all had pneumonia. Next, I came down with the flu and then we moved onto colds, and back to Mommy with the stomach flu. It was a miserable time, but we are so thankful it is behind us now! Thanksgiving didn't quite work out as we had planned. Grammie, Pop, & Uncle Dan were supposed to come, but since pneumonia was present, it was best to keep ourselves quarantined. I went ahead with the meal since we already had all the groceries purchased. We ended up having a really special meal with just our family. We had several rounds of "I am thankful for..." at the table. We did have two big events to be thankful for. Ethan finally gave up his binky completely. We were expecting many wakeful nights while he dealt without this bedtime routine, but it was actually quite easy. A visit from the "binky fairy" who left him a wonderful letter and a present in exchange for all his binkies left him quite content with the transition. We also tackled potty training at the same time. I was so determined to conquer both of these elements and get them behind us. I am grateful that it was a pretty easy transition! December included a weekend to Grammie & Pop's house to celebrate Christmas. It was a wonderful weekend and included a BIG snowstorm. The boys were so excited to play in it, this being the 2nd time they have seen snow. Upon returning home, my parents came for Christmas week. It was another great week with family. Greg and I were able to get a dinner out with the free babysitting! : ) My mom and I had a nice time making goodies for all the neighbors. Papa drew out plans to add onto the play structure in the backyard, which he will come in the spring to do. The boys are very excited to have that addition. It is so hard to believe that 2009 is behind us. So much crammed into one year. Onto to 2010. I will try to be better about posting things more often.